Unpublished photos of Masurian barge - photo report from diving

After many years since the discovery of the wreck, it has finally been possible to create its photographic documentation. Here are the unpublished photos of the Masurian barge!

Seven years after the wreck was located and its location made available by colleagues from the Giżycko Regional Fire Brigade, for the first time circumstances allowed photographic documentation to be made. Thanks to this, we have the pleasure of presenting today never before published photographs of the Masurian barge.

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The wreck, located in the waters of Lake Kisajno, was accidentally discovered in 2008 by firefighters from the Giżycko Fire Department. As a result of the “WhiteSludge”, Giżycko firefighters were equipped with MS1000 sonar, which was undoubtedly going to help locate sunken objects more quickly in the future.

Thewater group of the Giżycko Fire Brigade, during a routine exercise, located the wreck and carried out the first examination. Unfortunately, as the visibility was very poor, no photographic or video documentation was made. Later there were several expeditions, among others by representatives of the National Maritime Museum in Gdańsk, but the results of these dives were never published.

In winter 2009 a team of divers from KP “Płetwal” dived on a barge for the first time. We were led to the wreck by Krzysiek May – our unforgettable companion and excellent diver. The wreck looked inviting and the surrounding stories, such as the one about the sunken Mazurian side-wheeler, added spice. Unfortunately, during the dive we did not have anything to take pictures of, so only descriptions and memories remain.

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Revisiting

Since then we have been on the wreck twice. This year we managed to capture the wreck resting on the bottom of the Kisajno river, and the result are unpublished photos of the Masurian barge. The barge rests at a depth of about 17 metres and is slightly tilted to the right side. As the hull is made of steel, it was preserved in decent condition. The cargo of the vessel consisted of metal parts, which resemble parts for boat slips. About 30-40 cm below the side the wreck is filled with bottom sediments, so an exact inventory of the cargo is not possible.

The location of the wreck means that the best time to dive is undoubtedly in winter. In the summer, the clarity is variable, and the middle of the sailing route between Giżycko and Sztynort complicates the matter further. It seems that we can risk a statement that this is currently the most interesting wreck in Masuria.

From information obtained from the Inland Sailing Authority we know that vessel has sunk In 1946, and the circumstances were dramatic. It was close to sinking not only the barge itself but also the tugboat, which was detached at almost the last moment.